On my way to becoming an economist

Menu

Category Archives: Matlab

Programming is fun and rewarding. It is similar with writing in that you reach clarity and elegance through constant revision. As a beginner in Matlab, I’m starting a learning log to record my thoughts along the way. This time, my thoughts come from homework problems for my Demand Estimation class and a dynamic programming problem in my RA work.

1. Be clear about the steps you need to take before you write down any code. If you have a model to guide your analysis, make your code as consistent with the model as possible. Sometimes a tree structure or flow chart can help you think more clearly. Once you start writing the code, it is very easy to get lost in the details (e.g. vector dimensions).

2. In a loop, have a clear idea of the relationship between variables and when and where a variable needs to be defined. For example, empty vectors/matrices to store estimates should be defined before the estimates are produced.

3. Use vectors where possible to make calculations more efficient. For someone like me who is spoiled by straight-forward “programming” in Stata, this is something I need to learn.

Learning a new programming language is like getting to know a new friend. Over time you learn about her strengths and weaknesses, and how she can complement you to make your work more productive. Starting next week I will be taking a course on entry games taught by Professor Allan Collard-Wexler. Looking forward to learning more about programming and IO theory in the next seven weeks!